Chapter 28: Chapter 28 – About a bully and other misfortunes

It could be said that, after the events at the Seymour fair, an ephemeral period of calm arrived for Oscar. He got the job he wanted at the newspaper, so each week was busy preparing the next part of a story he was doing. Since it was his job to create a new story every month, not only did he get paid extra, but got rid of having to show up at the offices on a daily basis. He could write from Lilac Hall and, when it suited him, go to town to drop off the manuscript.

With this routine of continuing to work as a gardener, running errands for whoever asked, and writing in his spare time, Oscar was able to gather a little money. It wasn't too much, on the other hand. But, if he combined what had collected with the original character's savings, it was enough to pay for at least five of the thirteen novels required by Theresa and which had been delivered for weeks.

Although it might seem that time was pressing, the truth is that it wasn´t. He had lied, or at least withheld part of the truth, from Albert when he told him there was a problem with the money the younger Cornell owed him. And then he argued that if it wasn't inconvenient for the other, he would want to give Theresa some time so that she could raise the money she owed.

In short, Oscar didn´t know if the villain believed the lie or not, but the truth is that he didn´t question him about it and agreed to be paid little by little.

So now, two months later, Oscar was used to being, literally, without a penny in his pockets. For although Albert was not rushing him to get the money, he felt he shouldn´t make him wait too long if he could help it. Therefore, as soon as he got the pounds to afford one of those books, the first thing he did was take them to the villain.

And, on the other hand, Madeleine wasn´t helping at all! She had been hanging out with Patrick as of late, yes. There was even a rumor all over Snodland that those two were dating, but that was it.

Oscar had asked her to tell Patrick the truth about the envelope after a few weeks, when the protagonist had already grown a little fond of her and therefore wasn´t going to get too angry at the misunderstanding and the consequent bad news that he would have to give the money back. But Madeleine, using one excuse or another, never ventured to clarify anything.

Not only that, seeing she wasn´t very up to the task of untangling the plot, Oscar proposed that she at least use her charms for something useful. That is, cajoling Patrick into giving her money, jewelry, or anything of financial value that he could resell. What to say about the result of this, then? Madeleine got mad at Oscar for suggesting such a thing but in the end, either because she found the idea of ​​it appealing or because she planned to do it anyway, she did manage to get the protagonist to present her with a pair of jewelry.

Jewels that, of course, she refused to give Oscar. Claiming that, perhaps they had a high value in the market but, for her, what they possessed was an unpayable sentimental value.

Of course, this was all to be expected, right? At least, with Madeleine taking care to keep Patrick entertained, and with the author busy with her own business, there was no one who could come and screw up Oscar… In theory. Only in theory.

"Oscar, haven't your uncles told you something new about Rose Cottage?" This was a question the villain on duty asked suddenly, during a weekend in November.

It was unexpected because Albert wasn´t one of those who took a liking to getting into other people's lives, talking and even judging them behind their backs. Although his younger sister had gone off to boarding school, Oscar continued to come to Thornfield whenever he could. And, having made a habit of this, it could be said that both were already used to the presence of the other.

This being the case, Oscar no longer professed the same fear of him as at first, almost the opposite. He had realized this individual was just what he appeared to be: a quiet human being with no interest in confrontation. Not even if he had the upper hand. So now, by mentioning the Cornell home without his coming here at all, Oscar was more curious than terrified of where he wanted to go with that.

"They haven't told me anything, should they have?"

"Maybe" Albert was silent for a couple of minutes, as if wondering if he should be the one to bring up this topic, and in the end, he must have decided there was nothing wrong with commenting on it, as he continued. “A couple of days ago some men came to visit Rose Cottage. It didn't seem strange to me, since your old employer usually invites his friends and, from time to time, a client. But later I came across Mrs. Tanner and she mentioned those gentlemen had come to see the house, as the Cornells are thinking of selling. That's why I asked if you knew something.”

"First news I got. Are they so badly off money that they need to relocate elsewhere?”

Not that he didn't have faith in the writer, but she told him that once Patrick and Madeleine got intimate, she would focus all of her efforts on getting Mr. Cornell and his lover reconciled. So that the latter could give him the money the aforementioned neither possessed nor deserved. This was serious, as Dianne forced Oscar to write a letter to Cornell in which he apologized for his atrocious behavior and returned the document with which he once tried to blackmail him.

Of course, such an action meant nothing. In the sense that, if he needed to, Oscar could go back to London whenever he wanted, show up at the hotel and ask for both testimonies and copies of old invoices, obtaining even more evidence than he ever had. But what could he say to himself of all this? Cornell wouldn't think beyond what he had in front of him. And for Dianne, considering how the situation was, it was no use warning the old man that Oscar had not yet dropped his last ace.

"I'm not aware of his financial situation," Albert continued, "I'm not even sure that what Mrs. Tanner said is the reality. But it´s true that the Cornells will end up having to leave Rose Cottage sooner or later, it doesn´t have to be because they are bankrupt.”

That was true. After all, Cornell had no male children to whom to pass the property. And, with all her unmarried daughters, there was not even a chance that one of their husbands would be willing to acquire Rose Cottage.

"Well, I am convinced that if they really were to move soon, my aunt would have informed me about it by now. Long before, even, of having materialized anything. Still, the Cornells have always been resourceful people. They may be doing poorly now, but there´s no doubt that they´ll get over it.”

‘Even more so with the nosy writer around, causing that to happen’

"Yes, unfortunately, the Cornells are one of those families that fortune often smiles on. Sometimes I don't even think they need Mr. Cornell to make a couple of good investments to start the business, because they could get their possessions back in another way, without even having to resort to working for it.”

That "unfortunately" echoed in Oscar's brain, reaffirming his initial impression that Albert didn't like his neighbors. Now, did he have the problem with several of the members of that family or only with one? It was obvious that with Theresa, at least, he had no problem.

"Maybe if any of the girls get married…" Oscar began; he was sure the villain was already aware that one of them was meeting with Patrick, and he wanted to get an opinion on it. “Madeleine, for example, spends a lot of time at Lilac Hall.”

"With Patrick Seymour? Do you really think he´s the kind of person who gets married?"

"Not at all, in fact that's why I'm surprised he's managed to put up with Madeleine for so long."

"Maybe the only reason was because, as much as they both frequent each other, they don't have any commitment," Albert deduced, his tone being that of someone who enjoyed the problems of others. “Although Madeleine Cornell thinks that everything is already assured, and her parents instigate her to believe this, that doesn´t imply Patrick is tied hand and foot when it comes to doing whatever he wants when she isn´t looking”

Having ascertained the obvious, Oscar recalled Theresa had told him about the rumors about Patrick having another favorite. Knowing this, and already giving the impression that he had come to Thornfield only to speak ill of the whole neighborhood, he didn´t think too much when he said:

"There's something I've been wondering about for a while, but I'm afraid it's rude on my part," he began, and seeing Albert motion for him to continue, no matter what the next words were, he decided to inquire. “What´s the cause of this animosity that you seem to have towards Mr. Seymour? Oh no. Wait, I shouldn't have put it like that; It's not like you're the only one who seems to have something against young Seymour. After all, the aforementioned doesn't seem to like you either.”

"Truth is that I'm surprised you noticed, after such a short time."

Albert must have been impressed by Oscar's deductive skills, but this time, they had nothing to do with his coming to that conclusion. Although he hadn't had as many opportunities to see how the protagonist and the villain interacted, since he transmigrated, he already knew that those two didn´t get along. And now, fully immersed in the novel, he made sure to be aware of certain details in that regard to verify that it was still like that.

Details that he proceeded to comment on:

"I guess it was because of the fair. It didn´t seem strange to me that you didn´t let Letitia participate in it, although, on the day of the event, I did consider it again. You didn't approach Mr. Seymour other than to greet him upon arrival, didn't eat with him (when Patrick Seymour himself made sure the closest neighbors could have lunch in his company) and at the end you even warned me about this particular person. One could come to think that it´s just that you don´t like the individual, but seeing the master does not make the effort to improve the relationships either... That makes me think he doesn´t hold you in high esteem either.”

"Considering that Mr. Seymour is one of those people who don´t like to have their mistakes thrown in their face, it is true he shouldn´t hold me in high esteem." After a pause in which he seemed to consider where he should start, Albert continued. “I'm not usually so quick to decide if I don´t like someone, I try to get to know people better before giving a verdict on that question, but with Seymour it's different. It´s not that with him I can more easily grasp his tricks or anything like that; is that I already knew him from before he moved to Snodland.”

"I had no idea," Oscar murmured, as he began to review the data he already had, comparing it with what he had just discovered.

In the original novel those two got along like cat and dog, but a motive was never specified. Patrick told Madeleine the same thing that Albert warned him about the protagonist; that she shouldn´t be fooled by him, because he was not to be trusted. With this warning from Patrick, and since the basis for him to make such a claim was never delved into, Oscar always believed this was something he said randomly. That if he warned Madeleine about Albert, was with the simple intention of ensuring she didn´t get involved with the aforementioned, since the villain should be considered a threat to the protagonist in his hunt for the perfect woman to take to bedroom.

Now, instead, it seemed that there was indeed a clear reason why those two were on bad terms. Oscar wondered if the author would know about it since, when asked her about other things, she seemed to be talking to someone who, to her knowledge, did not even know that she had written a book.

"So, since when do you know each other?"

"We went to the same school, even though being in different classes," he explained. “Be that as it may, that wasn´t an impediment to knowing who he was, since already in his school years he was one of those who stood out... And not because of his good grades”

"Don't tell me he was one of the thugs there."

"Indeed, he had no discipline at all! He spent his days making fun of the teachers, cajoling his classmates into doing his homework, playing practical jokes on anyone who got caught up, and, to top it all, organizing small feasts in the company of his friends with stolen food from the kitchen, late at night.”

"By any chance you wouldn't be in boarding school? Because if you were, and knowing how he is now, he´d only need to invite girls to the venue to complete the mess”

“Yes that's how it is. Whether he let women sneak into a men's school I'm not sure. I doubt it, actually. But I think they could meet them, as there was another boarding school for young ladies nearby and on more than one occasion I saw Patrick Seymour and his friends sneaking off in the middle of the night in that direction.”

At this point, Oscar was having a hard time not laughing. So much cliché even for something that not even the author predisposed! It was, indeed, hilarious. Although this didn´t imply that there wasn´t any realism in what was said. After all, students with a tendency to disobey orders would always exist.

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

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“What do you mean?”

"Saying you don´t get along just because of that. With people who must have been breaking the rules and doing what they want, if I were you I would have ignored them. What's the point of making bad blood for it? Anyway, they are the ones who´re looking for the problem on their own. What they do doesn´t affect you at all.”

Oscar was sure Albert must have known this by now, but he said it anyway.

"There were… other things," the villain concluded.

It must have been an important matter for the aforementioned to say this with some hesitation. That only managed to pique Oscar's interest, although it was not that he dared to ask beyond what he had already done. It seemed they were entering delicate terrain and, precisely because of that, he didn´t try to force the other to continue talking. He supposed the conversation would die there, since Albert was never much given to talk about his affairs anyway. In fact, when the conversation was too personal, he often changed the subject or asked for silence.

Against all odds, Albert decided to continue:

"When I was at boarding school, there was this group of guys, led by Seymour, doing mischief and picking on the ones they didn't like."

Stopping here, he seemed like he was seeking Oscar's approval to continue, but he didn't get any other questions about it. Although it was obvious that he was being listened to, because although they both occupied their usual places in the library and had their hands full with books and documents respectively, Oscar had not stopped looking at him since he began to speak.

“Usually they picked on people who didn't follow their will,” he continued, “who seemed too weak to defend themselves and, ultimately, anyone the teachers seemed to favor. Regarding what they did to them, there was everything. From stealing their belongings to resorting to physical violence, going through verbal humiliations and jokes that would put one in evidence to the rest of the students.”

"And there was no one to stop them?"

Oscar had never been to a paid college, much less a boarding school for the rich. But he wanted to suppose that if the parents of these children were willing to pay a large sum for their children to study, it was because they wanted them to be safe, in addition to training.

“Of course, there was always a student who tried to stop them, especially if it was a delegate, since they had the responsibility there were no problems in the dormitories they supervised. But there was a catch, you know. As much as people protested, and even if some teachers also tried to do their part to make those affected feel better, it was of no use. Mr. Seymour Sr., as well as the parents of the friends of his son, had a considerable fortune and, in addition, they were the benefactors of the center. The director didn´t want to lose those extra funds, so he didn´t dare to expel these people from the school. The most they could do was impose a mild punishment that would not affect their record.”

“Seriously? That kind of thing never works, it could even make it worse! They should have treated all students equally, regardless of who their parents were.”

"It would be logical, yes, but in this case there was too much to lose. The Seymours were always a loved and respected family in the region, several generations of them had passed through that institution. The fact that Patrick Seymour was expelled would have been a scandal and, in all probability, would have caused other parents to decide to withdraw their support from the center after hearing the news.”

Oscar couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. Seeing the villain looked at him strangely, since he had laughed while he was telling something so serious, he pointed out:

“Ah, it´s nothing, I was thinking that there are rats in all schools, whether they are free or paid. Of course, if they are private schools, it seems that the rats are even older” By saying this he had made Albert smile too, which was never an easy task, since he usually kept his expression serious. “Now, what did he and his group have against you? Were you one of those delegates who betrayed the bad behavior of his companions? For whatever reason I can't discern, it strikes me that you´d be one of those excellent students who never break the rules or cause unnecessary fuss.”

"Regarding that... I don't know what gave you that image, but it wasn't like that. Not quite, at least. It´s true that I tried not to get into fights and went quite unnoticed. However, my grades weren't that great, and I had no interest in standing out either. So the delegate position never came to me. And, in the same way, I would have refused it if it had been offered”

“Then…”

Oscar stopped just before asking the question. If Albert wasn´t included in the group of delegates and not in that of the accusers, because being someone who doesn´t want to stand out, it´s obvious he wouldn´t go to tell them anything he saw to the teachers, what was left?

"I was another one of the people they teased."

“That's possible?” Oscar asked more to himself than to anyone else.

He couldn't imagine the teenage villain being bullied by Patrick and his henchmen. Not only because of his calm temperament and constant `I'll kill you if you come near me´ aura, but because these days it even gave the impression that it was Albert who had threatened the protagonist and not the other way around, due to how Patrick used to avoid him. So was what he was saying credible? Oscar opted for a positive response, even without being one hundred percent sure, because this person didn´t seem violent to him.

Of course, again, the whole world changes as the years go by.

"In those years," Albert proceeded to explain, fearing that the aforementioned would not make sense, "I was the weirdo of the class, so to speak, I wasn´t interested in social events or the life of celebrities in London. I didn´t like to study, even though my performance was remarkable, so I spent my idle moments reading fiction novels and ignoring my classmates. Seymour must not have liked that attitude, so he and that little group of his thought they could do a thing or two to wake me up.”

Albert stopped here, not specifying what was done to him. But it was felt that it must have been something that caused enough impact not to want to express it in words.

"If you were having problems with those people, why didn't you change schools?"

"It wasn't that easy. Like theirs, my family had also been studying there for generations. But, as with everything, there are hierarchies. That´s why I couldn´t have all the protection that I would have had if I had been born into another family. And it so happened that this was one of the best boarding schools in all of England, one could not miss the opportunity to study there if it arose.”

"Life for school, it seems..." Oscar mused to himself. “I don't think it was worth the sacrifice, but I never studied in places like this and don't know how or what they taught you. So I can only comment from ignorance.”

"Fortunately, that only lasted a couple of years. Somewhere in between Patrick and the others found another student to bother. Be that as it may, even though they left me alone, from then until I graduated I made sure these people didn´t come near me again. I never imagined that we would see each other again six years later, having chosen this town as his new residence.”

"It would have to be uncomfortable, no doubt."

“Only at the beginning. Then I realized he didn't even remember my name, much less what he had done to me. So while there was a time when I was terrified of him, now he is completely indifferent to me.”

The indifference they both professed didn´t explain why at this point in the novel Patrick had so much respect for him, even dread, to the point that he barely dared to talk to him for a couple of minutes. But Oscar was satisfied. He didn't need to know all the details at once and it had been enough to get Albert to make an exception and tell a little about his past.

Therefore, both Oscar and Albert resumed their activities and, it was not until about an hour later that the villain seemed to remember something:

"Before I forget," he began, "I won't be around next weekend. You can come read if you want. I'll let the housekeeper know to let you pass if you decide to come anyway.”

“That´s appreciated, although nothing happens if I miss the visit one day.”

Although the novels exerted some motivation in him, the main reason why Oscar kept coming to Thornfield, even when Letitia was gone, was because Albert would continue to stay in the library to keep him company. And if Albert left too, what was the point of showing up there? If only for the books, well he could borrow a couple more than usual and read them at Lilac Hall.

But that was something he wasn't going to say out loud.

"Are you going somewhere?" Oscar asked, doing his calculations, it wasn´t yet time for the villain to visit his sister.

"Some old clients of my father, the Ramseys, organize a hunt. They invited us, as well as a handful of close friends, for a few days in the field. Staying at his house, the plan would be to use a couple of mornings to go out to knock down some dam.”

"I didn't know you liked hunting."

 "I hate it, actually. I find no pleasure in killing defenseless animals. I can tolerate it if it's out of necessity, but not out of sport like in this case. I'm only going because Father is busy in London with some business and he won't be able to get back in time, so someone has to go so he doesn't look bad to the Ramseys.”

"That being the case, I hope it's light for you and that the weekend ends as quickly as possible."

`And this is the guy who's supposed to kill me?´ Oscar still wondered. Far from being afraid, now all sounded was ridiculous to the point he began to wonder if the author had not mistaken him as a character to play a villain or if there was some change in the period in which he transmigrated. Because it was ironic that the supposed murderer had more qualms than any other character to kill.

Either way, Oscar was no longer as concerned about that as at first. Even less after hearing this.

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